Paula Radcliffe irritates the heck out of me!

Antonio Cabral wrote:

She is very determined aas a runner - she runs since 11 years old with passion, she speaks something of spanish and just a bit of portuguese, but that doesn´t turn her as an intelectual, not at all. I never been in Loughborough University to learn english as she did to learn spanish but i express my better in english that she does in portuguese or spanish.

But Paula is fluent in French and German - it's a bit harsh to be critical of her Spanish and Portuguese too.

You're talking straight out your ass! She didn't study Spanish at Loughborough. If she speaks Spanish or Portuguese at all, it was of her own decision to try to learn a bit to get on while she was visiting. She is degreed in French, German, and Economics. Did someone hack your account, or is this really you, Mr. Cabral?? I can't believe it if it is. And if it's truly is, I have lost every bit of respect for you I had. Absolutely pathetic!

Excuses? I doubt a single person posting in this thread has the perserverance she has. It's incredible that she's still running competitively after so many years at the highest level.

As for hearing about all her setbacks, you definitely have the British media to blame for that. They would crucify her if she didn't give some explanation for every success or failure. She had to write a whole book after her Olympic failures just to shut them up.

As a semi-distinguished member of the running community, you could not come off more unprofessionally than to tear this woman down on intellect.

nightline wrote:

As a semi-distinguished member of the running community, you could not come off more unprofessionally than to tear this woman down on intellect.

What was wrong when he wrote that she is of ordinary intellect? When he used the word "vulgar" I think he meant "common," like when someone refers to the "Latin vulgate" which was the Latin used by the people. There is no shame in having ordinary intelligence.

Also, what was wrong when he said she has excuses (at least one reason) whenever she doesn't do as well as she had expected? If this is a fact, then it is a fact. This is not tearing someone down. Some people offer excuses. So what?

I found his message informative and not condemnatory.

From200mTo8k wrote:

What was wrong when he wrote that she is of ordinary intellect? When he used the word "vulgar" I think he meant "common," like when someone refers to the "Latin vulgate" which was the Latin used by the people. There is no shame in having ordinary intelligence.

Also, what was wrong when he said she has excuses (at least one reason) whenever she doesn't do as well as she had expected? If this is a fact, then it is a fact. This is not tearing someone down. Some people offer excuses. So what?

I found his message informative and not condemnatory.

He was implying that he was of some sort of superior intellect. That's what I gathered from his broken English attempt at attacking Radcliffe.

Have you ever used EPO on your athletes Cabral? Blood doping? Has a Portuguese athlete ever competed at the highest level clean?

Mr. Cabral, I have no idea who you are and on the basis of what I see here, I'm not interested in finding out. You don't impress me much.

trollism wrote:

Have you ever used EPO on your athletes Cabral? Blood doping? Has a Portuguese athlete ever competed at the highest level clean?

He has probably not coached someone like Radcliffe, if that's what you are implying.

I am skeptical about anyone who believes doping has some magical powers, especially holding up signs at athletic events.

No. Let's get and keep something straight here: Antonio Cabral called Paula Radcliffe an "idiot and an analphabetic". He was not saying she was ordinary, or kind of dull to listen to. He said she was an illiterate moron! And the son of a b1tch has been deleting posts from this thread all day that call him out on his embarrassing, a$$hole behavior.

common wrote:

No. Let's get and keep something straight here: Antonio Cabral called Paula Radcliffe an "idiot and an analphabetic". He was not saying she was ordinary, or kind of dull to listen to. He said she was an illiterate moron! And the son of a b1tch has been deleting posts from this thread all day that call him out on his embarrassing, a$$hole behavior.

Good point. That was out of line. I was referring to a different post, but I went back and saw the post you mention.

No problem. Glad you saw the original post.

Mr. Cabral, you are way out of line and way out of character. Apologize, or at least defend your statements like a man instead of deleting the posts of anyone who criticises you.

You're losing your good reputation. One. Post. At. A. Time.

I repeat.

I admire her BUT just as a runner.

I meet her, I did some daily runs with her on the road from Monte-Gordo to Vila Real de Sto Antonio and back. I did meal with her once in a while during her Algarve stay. She is friendly and polite, but she is not an intellectual or an exceptional mind. Just an average person that got running talent, run passion and rich training and great performances.

However by all those positive facts I can´t agree with what he says after the runs she does and that she lost or she doesn´t the result she or public opinion imagine. There, on interview, press.-conference etc, she GOT AN EXCUSE everytime she fails or is out of success.

Some of that excuses are nothing but excuses. When she wins “she did win because she is the best on that day, she doesn´t considers the change and the possibility the other runners that she defeats are injured, tired, had bad day etc”. But when she lost or did a poor performance, she got a her own excuse ever. Bad-day, injured, wrong pace strategy etc etc.

She doesn´t admit that when she lost it´s because on that day the other runner, or several runner did best on that day.

The greatness temper of an athlete isn´t just the will to win, but to accept the defeat, and that the other did better on that day.

Most people think that because she did 2h15m this means she is the best. She is not the best, she was the world´s best on that day, but not on future runs, not forever.

By the way, 2 more things about Paula.

I don´t agree about his position about drugs and EPO. She just fight for a cause that is her selfish. If she doesn´t take EPO and the other does, it´s his prejudice. This is the main reason of his fight. I never see her to protest for a cause out of her interest. Do you ?

The other thing I want to say, it´s about her 2h15 WR. I will be satisfied if that WR is out of the record chart, just because in my opinion it´s done out of rule of marathon performance.

Your posts are nearly incomprehensible, but the bits I do get seem quite revolting so maybe it's for the best.

I get the feeling you regard yourself as having an 'exceptional mind' Cabral.

A bit of brown-nosing from people on this place, and the guy thinks he's some sort of super-guru. Get over yourself pal.

Thank you for finally man-ing up and responding. You're entitled to feel however you want. It really is indefensible and obnoxious, but it's just your opinion.

I think it's strange for you to go out of your way to call her an idiot, illiterate, and unintelligent when she clearly is none of those things.

It seems to me that the central issue for you is that she offers what you feel are a lot of excuses. I think you are biased toward seeing what you want. An objective review of her interviews, articles, and books indicates to me that she answers questions openly, fully, and honestly when asked, and if anything provides too much information. If you want to interpret that as "excuses", go ahead. You also conveniently leave out that she is notably gracious to her competition, in victory and defeat, and is one of the most universally liked personalities in athletics. Can you find me an interview where she is not gracious in defeat? Where she complains that a winner is unworthy, and claims she, herself, is deserving?

You completely lost me with your screed on EPO. It's selfish because she doesn't take EPO and doesn't want people to compete who are taking EPO, which is, by the way, illegal, as well as against the rules of the sport? If you believe that is selfish, you are completely mad.

The only reasonable opinion you have put forth is that her 2:15 World Record should not be recognized as such due to her having male pacers. I don't agree with you, but at least it is a supportable, reasonable opinion.

What did Paula do to you personally that you are so bitter? One has to wonder.

common wrote:

No problem. Glad you saw the original post.

Mr. Cabral, you are way out of line and way out of character. Apologize, or at least defend your statements like a man instead of deleting the posts of anyone who criticises you.

You're losing your good reputation. One. Post. At. A. Time.

I thanks that you, and some others that you express your opinion about me, but i really don´t care. The subject of this thread it´s not focus on me, but on Paula Radcliffe and her excuses when she does one poor result that she imagines.

About Paula Radcliffe I said enough about her usual excuseswhen she didn´t good.

As you might know Paula is doing public protest and declarations against doping use because it´s illegal and unfair competition. All right.

But she protests because it´s unfair or because her own profit ?

I suggest to Paula that instead of protest to drugs that is illegal in sports and it´s unfair really, that she turn on that protest against her own 2:15 Word record, that is also one illegal and one unfair result, done in one competition that the norm is just women-to-woman run, but she was helped by men.

Antonio Cabral you are a pathetic human being. Are you realy going to critisize her language skills in SPANISH AND PROTUGESE?? nevermind that she speaks fluent frennch and german! what the hell was the point of those comments?! Paula comes back everytime after her failures. i dont know what else you want

Of course that the place she did 2h15min WR, and how she did, it was not by chance. It was on London marathon, and british soil.

I doubt that in every other place out of british soil she would be authorized to run that illegal way out of road run rule for woman.

This also proves how partial some are on the judgment. Might be some of you are so impartial do judge her as the London organization and the british road run referees.

It´s not unusual what she did from the territory she did it.

I still remember when on the cross country the UK did compete with 3 teams when legally it´s just one citizenship: they had one British team, one Scotland team, and one North Ireland team. The same in soccer actually. What´s the other case that one country to compete as be 2 or 3 countries when in fact is recognized international law as one country ?

Is this the kind of privilege that you want for Paula ? Is this the kind of unfair competition that you want to rule ? Is this your kind impartial opinion that I might think about Paula ?

If you don't care, then why abuse your privilege as a moderator and delete approximately 20 replies that were critical of you? I think you do care. Quite a lot.

You made the thread all about yourself when you made uncalled for, personal attacks on the intelligence and character of Paula Radcliffe. Estás a meter água!

Your questions about Paula's motivations make no sense. How does she profit from preventing EPO cheats from competing? Because if they don't compete, they don't steal money from people who don't use EPO? Makes no sense.

Finally, her 2:15 world record was set under IAAF rules in 2003. There is ample documentation that the rules of the time were followed, and that Paula herself protested the use of pacers at the 2003 London Marathon. There is also video proof that she did not draft off the pacers during the race. Again, I don't know what you're on about, but it's hard to argue objectively that she and the director of the London Marathon didn't do everything in their power, and then some, by the book. Indeed the IAAF itself upheld the record from 2003 until mid-2011, just a couple of months ago.

I'm at a loss to understand your reasoning, but you're entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine.